Marathon is in a peculiar situation. It is not a failure, but it is also not a great success, with a tremendously loyal audience that loves the game. This has led to Sony reevaluating the value of the acquisition of Bungie, the developer studio of both games, considering they have lost 765 million dollars in the process, especially after the failure of Destiny 2. They want to address this by trying to give Marathon a boost with a free week of gameplay. A free week coinciding with its second season. From June 2 to June 9, you will be able to play Marathon completely […]
Marathon is in a peculiar situation. It is not a failure, but it is also not a great success, with a tremendously loyal audience that loves the game. This has led to a reevaluation of the value of acquiring Bungie, the developer studio of both games, at Sony, considering they have lost 765 million dollars in the process. Something they want to address by trying to give Marathon a boost with a week of free play.
A free week coinciding with its second season
From June 2 to 9, you will be able to play Marathon completely free on both PC and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. This will coincide with the launch of Season 2 of the game, titled NIGHTFALL, in which the game maps will take a dark turn towards the survival horror genre. Something that was already present in the first season, but will be reinforced in this second one.
All of this will be accompanied by certain systems and modes designed for new players. The first of these will be the Cradle progression system, with which we will be able to customize the attributes of our Hunter. The other includes two PvE modes, which will free the game from any kind of combat against players, removing the tension of potentially losing everything we have achieved at any moment, with the hope of attracting a larger audience that may be intimidated by the harshness of the game’s basic premise.
The idea at Bungie is to continue refining the experience of Marathon. For the third season, they want to ensure that the experience for new players is the best possible, and for the fourth, to add depth to the extraction system and its consequences. It seems that, although Marathon is not performing as expected at Sony, we still have a lot of gameplay ahead.
Bad news for Destiny 2 fans. Bungie has announced that they will stop developing new content for their popular online shooter starting June 9. That will be the date they release their last content patch, at which point the game’s servers will remain open, but there will be no new game content. This final update, in any case, will be packed with content. Defined by the developers as “a love letter to the players,” it will add a version of the Portal Director, as well as bring back an old acquaintance for the veterans: the races […]
Bad news for Destiny 2 fans. Bungie has announced that they will stop developing new content for their popular online shooter starting June 9. That will be the date when they release their last content patch, at which point the game’s servers will remain open, but there will be no new game content.
This latest update, in any case, will be packed with content. Defined by the developers as “a love letter to the players,” it will add a version of the Director of the Portal, in addition to bringing back an old favorite for the veterans: the races of the Sparrow Racing League from Destiny. All of this in an update that was originally scheduled for last March but was delayed for reasons that were not commented on at the time.
A Study in Trouble
Bungie is currently in a very delicate situation. Marathon,which was released on March 5, is performing below Sony’s expectations, who bought the studio in 2022 for 3.6 billion dollars. Since then, Bungie has not met the expectations of the Japanese corporation regarding account performance, announcing a depreciation of almost 750 million dollars in its value.
This leads to the conclusion that, according to journalist Jason Schreier in Bloomberg, Bungie is not working on any new projects. Although they have proposed making Destiny 3, among other games set in the Destiny universe, Sony has not given them the green light for any of these projects. At the same time, Schreier claims that a series of massive layoffs are about to occur within the company. It seems that Bungie, with the end of Destiny 2, may also be at the end of an era for the company.
Since its launch, the WSTR shotgun has dominated the battlefield in Marathon, generating intense debate within the community. This weapon is recognized for its effectiveness in close combat, but its power has led Bungie to plan a nerf, the second in the game since its release. According to the game director, Joe Ziegler, the goal of this change is to balance the gameplay experience, especially against players using blue shields. The balance in question The nerf means that players equipped with the WSTR will no longer be able to eliminate a rival with a […]
Since its launch, the WSTR shotgun has dominated the battlefield in Marathon, generating intense debate within the community. This weapon is recognized for its effectiveness in close combat, but its power has led Bungie to plan a nerf, the second in the game since its release. According to the game director, Joe Ziegler, the goal of this change is to balance the gameplay experience, especially against players using blue shields.
The balance in question
The nerf means that players equipped with the WSTR will no longer be able to eliminate a rival with a blue shield in two shots, which will force a reload in crucial confrontations. Ziegler explained in a post on Steam that this modification aims to promote more strategic gameplay and provide players with more options to counter their opponents, thus increasing the diversity of strategies and tactics within the game.
Despite its previous nerf, which had significantly reduced the range of the WSTR, the shotgun remains a powerful option, especially for those exploring the early missions where green shields prevail. The community has responded positively to Bungie’s efforts to adjust the game’s meta, appreciating the changes that allow for more enjoyable and less restrictive extraction experiences.
Additionally, Bungie has been experimenting with sponsored kits that limit the allowed loadouts, promoting a more free gaming experience. This flexibility has been well received; however, new additions, such as the Mercy Kits, have generated unexpected situations where players often use them offensively, adding an ironic twist to the game. With these changes, it is clear that Bungie is committed to the dynamic development of Marathon, seeking to maintain the interest of both new players and veterans of the franchise.
Caves of Qud has been named the best roguelike of 2024, thanks to its unique atmosphere and procedural systems that allow players to take on peculiar roles, such as a psionic with a railgun. This distinction highlights the creative ingenuity behind the game, created by developers Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat, who have managed to offer an immersive gaming experience that challenges the norms of the genre. Caves of Qud is a complex and fascinating game Recently, Bucklew and Grinblat revealed that they had the “real privilege” of working as narrative consultants in the development of Marathon, although they clarify that […]
Caves of Qud has been named the best roguelike of 2024, thanks to its unique atmosphere and procedural systems that allow players to take on peculiar roles, such as a psionic with a railgun.
This distinction highlights the creative ingenuity behind the game, created by developers Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat, who have managed to provide an immersive gaming experience that challenges the norms of the genre.
This collaboration with Bungie allows us to glimpse the influence that the creators of Qud have had on the refinement of the narrative tone and world-building in Marathon, a game that, like Qud, emphasizes the importance of its narrative context in the player experience.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Bucklew praised Bungie’s ability to create worlds rich in symbolism and narrative, which significantly enhances the gaming experience. Although many of these narrative elements may not be obvious, their impact is deeply felt and contributes to an overall sense of immersion. Bucklew emphasized that his role in the process was more as a defender of the narrative than as a creator of concrete content, highlighting how his ideas were considered in the game’s construction.
On the other hand, the codex of Marathon is described as a main character full of details that adds a sense of mystery and context within the game, reminiscent of the characteristic atmosphere of Caves of Qud. Bucklew argues that these elements, although often invisible, are crucial for creating a cohesive and rich gaming experience.
The players of Marathon, the new title from Bungie, will have the opportunity to try an experimental duo mode starting March 18. This new mode, which will operate on a single map called Perimeter, will be available for a limited period of approximately two weeks. The decision on whether it will be implemented permanently will depend on the feedback that players provide during this testing phase. They warn that it will not be polished from the start. The game director, Joe Ziegler, explained that this feature has been requested by the community since the “server slam” that […]
Players of Marathon, Bungie’s new title, will have the opportunity to try out a duo mode experimentally starting March 18. This new mode, which will operate on a single map called Perimeter, will be available for a limited period of approximately two weeks.
The decision on whether it will be implemented permanently will depend on the feedback players provide during this testing phase.
They warn that it will not be polished from the start
Although the duos mode is presented as a “nice to have” option, Bungie acknowledges that its implementation is a significant challenge, as changing the composition of teams could alter how the game flows and the behavior of players within the map.
As the release date for this new feature approaches, Bungie seems committed to learning from this experience to better understand how to expand the duos mode in the future. With this initiative, the company hopes to take a step forward in the evolution of the game and consider implementing improvements based on the feedback it receives.
Bungie are experts in one thing: making games that feel good. Specifically, in making their weapons feel good. After decades of making shooters, they know how to make each of their weapons feel with the recoil, the heft, and the exact sound so that they differentiate from each other, feel pleasant to handle, and each person finds the one they feel comfortable with. Something that companies with much more popular franchises like theirs, such as Call of Duty or Fortnite, have never achieved in the same way. That’s why people haven’t stopped playing […]
Bungie are experts in one thing: making games that feel good. Specifically, making their weapons feel good. After decades of making shooters, they know how to make each of their weapons feel with the recoil, the heft, and the exact sound so that they stand out from each other, feel pleasant to handle, and each person finds the one they feel comfortable with. Something that companies with much more popular franchises like theirs, such as Call of Duty or Fortnite, have never managed in the same way.
That’s why people haven’t stopped playing Destiny. That’s why the Halo franchise up to Reach is considered legendary. And that’s why the Marathon trilogy is regarded as a milestone in FPS games. Practically no other game feels like the games Bungie makes. And Marathon, their new game, is no exception. Although that won’t guarantee its success.
It has never felt so good to shoot
Marathon is a game set in the universe of the original trilogy, released on Mac in the 90s and that would define FPS as we know it. Although these were single-player adventures, the new Marathon is more in line with the times and, to the disappointment of most classic fans, it is an extraction shooter. Set in the year 2893, 99 years after the original, we will have to travel to the planet Tau Ceti IV to infiltrate colonies, achieve objectives, eliminate our rivals, and escape alive. A formula similar to that of Arc Raiders.
Similar, but not the same, because Marathon is very focused on PvP. While in Arc Raiders collaboration and coordination among players is expected, in Marathon aggression is expected to be the response to all encounters. Any encounter with another group of Runners, the names of the operatives traveling to Tau Ceti IV to fulfill the corporations’ objectives, will necessarily end in a shootout, as there are no incentives to collaborate and many incentives to eliminate enemies. This makes the game more similar to an extraction shooter with team deathmatch elements than to what we currently know as an extraction shooter.
All of this is accompanied by a spectacular artistic section, with a very unique use of typography and graphic design. Although tremendously divisive, this gives it personality. And if we add a narrative developed in what are essentially visual novel scenes, all of this gives the game a lot of character.
What is the problem that Marathon faces? It’s coffee for hardcore coffee lovers. And we don’t say this as something negative, but as a fact. This is not a shooter for people who like Call of Duty to play with their friends, but for those who enjoy spending dozens of hours in Destiny because the weapons are tremendously satisfying and the gameplay loop is tense and addictive, making every fight feel like a brutally hard life-and-death battle. This creates two obvious problems. One from the audience and another from Sony.
From the audience’s perspective, it is evident that this is a niche game. It is not Arc Raiders. Whether it will become a mass-market game seems doubtful, as it demands a lot from players. Moreover, dedicated players already have their games to devote their time to. If Marathon can offer them something to make them abandon their current games to dedicate time to it, that will determine whether it is a success or a failure, in terms of total numbers. From Sony’s side, the situation is more delicate. After canceling several games-as-a-service projects and the failure of Concord, it does not seem they have any qualms about shutting down servers at the first opportunity. So it remains to be seen if good, but not excellent numbers — the most likely scenario for a game like this, even given its success as the third best-selling game on Steam currently — are enough for the survival of Marathon.
A good game that can fail
There is always room for surprise. That it could turn into another Arc Raiders. But while Arc Raiders was accessible and encouraged continued play without frustration, Marathon is the complete opposite: the more you play, the more reasons there are to abandon it unless you are deeply invested in its formula. For this reason, while we could very well be facing a great success like Helldivers 2, it seems doubtful that we are looking at a tremendous success like Arc Raiders.
Will this be enough for Sony? Only time will tell. With a release scheduled for March 5 and with previous server tests that have been a tremendous success, it has the potential to be a hit. Especially if it survives the inevitable player drop-off in the first two days and the first week without there being a discourse around how the new Concord or the new Highguard is. If that happens, it is unlikely that Marathon will recover. If it doesn’t happen, it is likely to perform well and have room to operate for a few months. And in that case, Bungie has a chance to move forward. Because against all odds with everything we had seen and all its controversies, Marathon has the legs for a good journey.
Elias Toufexis, conocido por su destacado trabajo como la voz de Adam Jensen en la icónica serie Deus Ex, ha generado controversia al afirmar que no habrá un nuevo juego en la franquicia en un futuro cercano. A pesar de ser una parte clave de Deus Ex: Human Revolution y Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Toufexis compartió en … Continue reading “”
Elias Toufexis, known for his prominent work as the voice of Adam Jensen in the iconic Deus Ex series, has sparked controversy by stating that there will not be a new game in the franchise in the near future. Although he is a key part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Toufexis shared in a Twitter message that a return to Jensen’s universe is not expected, mentioning that “those in charge are psychopaths”. However, he clarified that his comment was made in jest and that it is surprising that they are taking so long to develop a new title in this famous series.
Toufexis is not happy with how the franchise has been treated
In an interview with PC Gamer, the actor explained that he proposed an animated series project to Eidos Montreal, highlighting his previous experience in developing animated series and suggesting that the franchise has a lot of untapped potential, but received a negative response. The situation is discouraging for Deus Ex fans who were hoping for a continuation of the saga, although Toufexis has other projects in the works.
En el ámbito de los videojuegos, Toufexis tiene un papel destacado en títulos recientes como The Outer Worlds 2, así como en el juego Hell Is Us y MindsEye. También está trabajando como director de voz para Marathon, el próximo título de Bungie, donde dará vida a los personajes Void y Rook. A pesar de un lanzamiento inicial desafiante en 2025, el equipo de desarrollo ha prometido mejoras significativas y está abierto a recibir comentarios de los jugadores. Toufexis expresó confianza en el producto final, elogiando la construcción del mundo, la narrativa y la actuación.
Con Marathon programado para su lanzamiento en marzo de 2026, aunque sin una fecha específica, los fanáticos de la saga esperan que 2027 podría ser el año que traiga de vuelta a Deus Ex. Por ahora, parece que los jugadores tendrán que esperar un poco más para regresar a ese querido universo.
Marathon, the ambitious project from PlayStation and Bungie, has been the subject of controversy since its announcement. The initial criticisms from the gaming community led the developers to decide to delay its release to make adjustments and improve the gaming experience. It has now been confirmed that the title will have a release window in March 2026, with a set price of 39.99 euros. A game dragged by controversy The studio has been working on multiple closed betas and has implemented significant changes in the multiplayer design, seeking to smooth out the rough edges that […]
Marathon, the ambitious project from PlayStation and Bungie, has been the subject of controversy since its announcement. Initial criticism from the gaming community led the developers to decide to delay its release to make adjustments and improve the gaming experience. Now, it has been confirmed that the title will have a release window in March 2026, with a set price of 39.99 euros.
A game dragged by controversy
The studio has been working on multiple closed betas and has implemented significant changes to the multiplayer design, aiming to smooth out the rough edges that emerged after the initial reactions. Bungie has stated that their goal is to provide a fluid and intense combat experience, tailored to make the most of the PlayStation 5 hardware. “We have designed Marathon to shine on PlayStation 5,” the developers declared in a recent PlayStation blog.
The development of Marathon has been accompanied by the release of a video titled “Vision of Marathon | Bungie ViDoc,” which delves into the changes made and the evolution of multiplayer. As the release date approaches, it is expected that Bungie will share more details about the game, including its final release and new features that players can look forward to.
On the other hand, the controversy surrounding the uncredited use of creations by the artist Fern ‘4nt1r34l’ Hook has also shaped the path of Marathon. After several months of tension, a satisfactory agreement has been reached that allows Bungie to fully focus on the completion of their project. With these advancements and the team’s commitment, Marathon hopes to become a critically acclaimed multiplayer experience when it finally arrives in 2026.
The emblematic design of the Master Chief’s armor underwent a remarkable development process, which included up to nine revisions before Bungie finally defined the iconic look of the character. Marcus Lehto, one of the creators of Halo, recently shared details about this extensive creative process during an interview with Kent State Magazine. Lehto, who graduated in illustration, used his education to break down the design into basic visual elements, which he said was crucial in shaping the final armor. A design that resisted the company throughout the various […]
The iconic design of Master Chief’s armor underwent a remarkable development process, which included up to nine revisions before Bungie finally defined the character’s iconic look. Marcus Lehto, one of the creators of Halo, recently shared details about this extensive creative process during an interview with Kent State Magazine. Lehto, who graduated in illustration, used his education to break down the design into basic visual elements, which he said was crucial in shaping the final armor.
A design that resisted the company
Throughout the various iterations, Bungie explored different ideas, from stylized designs to inspirations drawn from military technology, such as the M1 Abrams tank and the Apache helicopter. Notably, the helmet design was inspired by a BMX helmet, a detail that becomes evident when viewed from the side. “I wasn’t going to stop until I found the right design. I learned that you shouldn’t stop after the first iteration,” Lehto added about his commitment to the design.
In an interesting twist in the history of video games, Lehto reflected on how Halo, originally conceived as a title for Mac, radically transformed when Microsoft acquired Bungie, relocating the team to the Pacific Northwest to develop the game for Xbox. As the Halo saga continues to evolve, Microsoft seems to be grappling with uncertainty about the future direction of the series following Halo: Infinite, opting for a nostalgic approach by considering a second remake of Halo: Combat Evolved.
On its part, Bungie faces its own challenges with the reboot of Marathon, dealing with controversies, delays, and layoffs, while its new owner, Sony, intensifies its control over the studio. Despite these issues, Marathon is still scheduled for release in March, with a limited test planned for December. In this context, both Halo and Marathon reflect a turbulent journey in the evolution of their respective franchises.
This December, Bungie has opened registrations for the community playtest of its upcoming title, Marathon. Interested players will be able to participate in this testing phase, which will take place from the 12th to the 16th of the month, under a confidentiality agreement. This means that those who participate will not be able to publicly discuss the details of the game, unless there are early leaks. Is there room for another extraction shooter? The announcement of the playtest comes at a crucial time, as Marathon prepares for its launch, which is expected before March 2026. The competition in the […]
This December, Bungie has opened registrations for the community playtest of its upcoming title, Marathon. Interested players will be able to participate in this testing phase, which will take place from the 12th to the 16th of the month, under a confidentiality agreement. This means that those who participate will not be able to publicly discuss the details of the game, unless there are early leaks.
Is there room for another extraction shooter?
The announcement of the playtest comes at a crucial time, as Marathon prepares for its launch, which is expected before March 2026. The competition in the extraction shooter genre has increased, especially with the recent explosive success of Arc Raiders, a game that has captured the community’s attention. This context could influence players’ expectations towards Marathon, as many are being drawn to titles like Arc Raiders and Escape from Tarkov.
The growing interest in these games may make it difficult for Marathon to capture the desired attention at the time of its launch. Some analysts suggest that Bungie might be considering integrating well-received features from Arc Raiders, such as proximity chat, which could bring greater interactivity and emergent narrative moments that have resonated in the extraction shooter of its competition.
Although Marathon has been enjoyed in previous versions, some critics, including an author of this article, point out that it lacked essential elements, which could be an area for improvement. However, Bungie’s skill in game design has generated expectations, and their previous experience with Destiny offers a hint that the gameplay will remain superior, which could capture the attention of players currently experimenting with other titles.
With the release date still to be determined, the eyes of the community will be on how Marathon evolves and whether it can capitalize on the momentum generated by the success of Arc Raiders.
